Couple aim to educate public on human trafficking

Published: Saturday, July 19, 2014 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, July 18, 2014 at 9:04 p.m.

It wasn't long after arriving in Mae Sai, a border town in Northern Thailand, that Bob and Fran German found themselves walking home past bar after bar with young girls averaging around about 10 years old perched outside on high stools for display.

Bob German said he quickly realized they weren't just bars; they were brothels.

The Germans said they just couldn't get over how young the girls were, and they knew they had to do something.

“We could see they were very young; they had the thick makeup and high-heeled shoes and all this, and I know that sex tourism is a big thing throughout the world, but you see these guys and they come there and all they want is young girls, young girls,” Bob German said. “They prefer virgin girls. It really breaks your heart and it's like they're so self-absorbed that they only care about themselves not about the victim here.”

The Germans said this form of modern-day slavery is something they just could not ignore, so they formed Bob and Fran's Abolish Child Trafficking Project, offering guidance to individuals who want to get involved but do not know how.

The Germans have a smart shopping guide they offer couples who want to support companies that help to counteract human trafficking and can suggest nonprofit organizations that have low administrative overhead, sending the bulk of their donations directly to those in need.

They are also available to speak to church and civic groups about sponsoring those affected by trafficking.

Bob German said seeing traffickers move the girls first-hand solidified their desire find a way to help.

“Poverty does terrible things to people and unfortunately because the population — the population was at 3 billion and grew to 7 billion in 50 years — so that's a lot more poor, a lot more people in poverty,” Fran German said.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes reported in its Global Report on Trafficking in Persons published in 2012 that many cases of trafficking begin by recruiting and exploiting the victims' hope for a better life.

Fifty-eight percent of those trafficked worldwide as of 2010 were for sexual exploitation, and 36 percent into forced labor. The UN wrote that it expected to see numbers grow for those working in forced labor.

For more information or to contact the Germans, email bobnfran@gmail.com or call 393-0805.

<p>It wasn't long after arriving in Mae Sai, a border town in Northern Thailand, that Bob and Fran German found themselves walking home past bar after bar with young girls averaging around about 10 years old perched outside on high stools for display.</p><p>Bob German said he quickly realized they weren't just bars; they were brothels.</p><p>The Germans said they just couldn't get over how young the girls were, and they knew they had to do something.</p><p>“We could see they were very young; they had the thick makeup and high-heeled shoes and all this, and I know that sex tourism is a big thing throughout the world, but you see these guys and they come there and all they want is young girls, young girls,” Bob German said. “They prefer virgin girls. It really breaks your heart and it's like they're so self-absorbed that they only care about themselves not about the victim here.”</p><p>The Germans said this form of modern-day slavery is something they just could not ignore, so they formed Bob and Fran's Abolish Child Trafficking Project, offering guidance to individuals who want to get involved but do not know how.</p><p>The Germans have a smart shopping guide they offer couples who want to support companies that help to counteract human trafficking and can suggest nonprofit organizations that have low administrative overhead, sending the bulk of their donations directly to those in need.</p><p>They are also available to speak to church and civic groups about sponsoring those affected by trafficking.</p><p>Bob German said seeing traffickers move the girls first-hand solidified their desire find a way to help.</p><p>“Poverty does terrible things to people and unfortunately because the population — the population was at 3 billion and grew to 7 billion in 50 years — so that's a lot more poor, a lot more people in poverty,” Fran German said.</p><p>The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes reported in its Global Report on Trafficking in Persons published in 2012 that many cases of trafficking begin by recruiting and exploiting the victims' hope for a better life.</p><p>Fifty-eight percent of those trafficked worldwide as of 2010 were for sexual exploitation, and 36 percent into forced labor. The UN wrote that it expected to see numbers grow for those working in forced labor.</p><p>For more information or to contact the Germans, email bobnfran@gmail.com or call 393-0805.</p><p>Reach Bindewald at 694-7890 or renee.bindewald@blueirdgenow.com.</p>